A few days after the meteor shower, the mysterious shards have been gathered up by the guards, rebels, and another mysterious faction. However, what to do with them next remains a mystery, as all known texts on their purpose are hopelessly vague. If such a text exists, we don't know where to find it.

Six years ago, an unimaginable horror known as Tirek came to Equestria. His power was nigh impossible, requiring the Elements, the Lovers and the Alicorns all to pour their very souls into holding him. In their absence, Prince Blueblood took the crown. But, Blueblood's reign is simply a mask for the Guard's dictatorship, while rebels cling to the idea of a free republic and strange cults tout the value of freedom from any governance. With all this, why would anypony spare a thought for the comet that filled the night sky for weeks before falling?

Weather: CloudySeason: SpringWho's in power right now? TraditionalistsMeteor Collected: 0%

It had been a number of years since a dragon had made its home in the caves of the memorably named “Smokey Mountain”, a mountain so tall it could be seen from just about anywhere in Equestria that had once housed a sleeping dragon. While it was true no dragon lived there now, one day the ponies woke up and looked to the west to see a pillar of smoke rising from the summit. It wasn't the smoke and brimstone that the slumbering dragon had brought with him, but nevertheless the pillar of smoke, visible from immense distances, disturbed many ponies who looked at it.

A dark, equine figure galloped its way toward the Smokey Mountain. Most ponies feared to venture near the place. However, it was not the case of the mysterious stallion in black. His form was covered in a cloth like a ragged, black caparison with a hood that covered most of his face. He noticed that the Smokey Mountain once more had smoke pluming from it. But the way the smoke moved and how much of it did not point to a dragon. He moved his way up the mountain, sensing...something. Whatever was there had a sense of magic to it, but not a living being. More like...an artifact of some sort. He quickened his pace, his ghostly blue eyes determined. Lord Tenebrous would not be denied whatever awaited up in the mountain.

Laciel was in her hot air balloon heading towards Smokey Mountain. The smoke made it easier than it normally would have been for her, considering she had just downed a bottle of Draconequus Venom. Her vision was beginning to blur as her mind began to wander again. No, she had to focus, she needed whatever was in there to trade with that....damn, she couldn't even remember its species. Perhaps she should sober up....nah. All she could recall was that doing this would get her enough poison joke to create a couple crates worth of Draconequus Venom. She began to chuckle as she thought about it, she wouldn't have to waste time wandering the Everfree Forest for more, as she laughed, the hot air balloon crashed into a tree. She looked around and spotted a black unicorn off in the distance.

"Oh hell no, whatever I'm after belongs to me!"

Her horn began to glow as she messed around with the balloon and the branches, allowing it to return to the air. The balloon was soon back on course as she started yelling at the stallion below, "Hey! Get out of here, the thing in the place belongs to the pony with the thing!"

The dark unicorn stopped in his gallop, and turned himself to the sound of the voice calling him out. From beneath the hood came two, ghostly-blue eyes staring at the insane pony with menace.

"Fool. That meteorite is a conduit of magic!" He hissed at the mare,"It can work to the advantage of the Cult's unicorns. If you had your hooves on it you'd what....sell it for trinkets?"

He turned slightly, going into more of a canter. He didn't trust the obviously lunatic mare in the balloon. He stopped a moment again. He horn lit up with a menacing dark blue aura, the magic snapping off a nearby branch and sending it into the balloon. It'd buy him some time from dealing with the mare. She'd either be too busy patching the wound in the balloon's skin or abandoning ship if the balloon lost too much air. Though, he'd still watch himself. This mare seemed completely out of it.

“Sell it for whaaa-? That’s stupid, I’d sell it for more of the stuff which makes me happy! Enough of it to make everypony happy!”

As Lasciel spoke she flailed her hooves, and caused the balloon to begin to sway around sporadically. The branch missed the balloon as she smiled up at it.

“Ya know, I like your thinking, I’m going muuuuch too not fast.”

Lasciel’s horn began to glow as a nearby branch was snapped off of a tree and flung at….the balloon? As a hole was made, she set the burner to its highest setting, rapidly heating up the air, increasing the pressure difference.

The idea seemed to work as the balloon sped forwards….until it became obvious that it was losing altitude much too fast. Lasciel simply laughed as the balloon crashed into the ground, though she quickly rose from the rubble and began running towards the black unicorn. The venom had already affected her perception of pain. As she ran, various gears, wheels, chains, and other miscellaneous mechanical pieces flew around her as if they were forming something.

“I don’t know how you did that, but nopony bursts my bubbles!” Wait, wasn’t she the one to damage the balloon?

The black unicorn could only sigh at the chaotic insanity of the little mare. He stopped in his place, watching her charge at him.

"Halt a moment. What if I told you that instead of the....happy stuff you wish to make..." He said simply, moving just slightly out of her path,"That the stone we both seek has such great power that it could be useful in the overthrow of King Blueblood. With him out of the way, you wouldn't have to go to criminal lengths to make....whatever it is that makes you so cheery?"

He hoped that it would entice her enough to stop and at least consider. Then again, he'd been wrong about this mare within the last few minutes of observing her.

Lasciel began to skid to a stop as she stopped piecing together whatever she was making. She eyed the pony before her carefully before a goofy grin spread across her face.

“So, you want to get rid of the pony in charge? Pretty ambitious, and what do you plan to do then? Drop large amounts of illegal hallucinogenic substances over various cities and even towns causing wide spread anarchy causing all of Equestria to burn to the ground in a cloud of smoke? I like you.”

The bits and pieces of machine which were floating around her finally finished coming together and built what looked like a carriage. Lasciel hopped inside and motioned for the unicorn to follow. Inside the carriage were a few pedals which Lasciel began to use, moving the carriage forwards at a relatively decent pace, though she failed to pay attention to whether the unicorn had followed or not.

The unicorn lich smirked and hopped into the carriage that this mare's powers had built. He now had her trust, at least for the moment and nodded to the mare.

"Oh, of course I want anyone who is of blood-relation to that accursed Princess, Celestia, out from the throne." He smiled most wickedly,"How impolite of me. I am Tenebrous, a master of the dark magics. As far as I am concerned, Equestria has basked in enough light. I believe we are overdue for fear and darkness to take root."

He smiled, envisioning a kingdom where his arcane mysticism of darkness would rule. And with this celestial stone that he and this insane mare were retrieving, he would be a step closer to becoming more powerful.